Lucent will buy AMD Flash memory parts for the next three years, the company said today.

Actually, it didn't - AMD did, part of the chip maker's plan to convince the world it's the number one choice for non-volatile memory products.

The deal was described by both parties as "strategic", but it's by no means an exclusive arrangement - Lucent is simply signing AMD to supply a "significant portion" (ie. not all) of its Flash needs.

AMD announced a similar deal with Palm a little while back. Palm will take lots of Flash chips from AMD, but - again - by no means will the chip maker meet all its needs.

Flash memory was, of course, in short supply through 2000, though not as hard to find as small-size LCD modules. ®